Cotton-seed crusher and distributer.



Patented Oct. 3l, |899.

S. M. NEELY. COTTON SEED CRUSHER AND DISTRIBUTER.

(Anvlication me@ Jan. 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

' (No Model.)

N0 635,802. Patened Got. 3|, |899.

` S. M. NEELY.

COTTON SEED CRUSHEH AND DISTBIBUTER.

(Appication filed Jan. 13, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NTTnD STATES TATnNT Turcs@ SAMUEL M. NEELY, OF CHESTER, SOUTH CAROLINA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,802, dated October 31, 1899. Application iiled January 13, 1899. Serial No. 702,083. (No model.)

To all whom it r11/tty concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. NEELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Chester and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Seed Crusher and Distributer, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to planters, and particularly to a cotton-seed orusher and distributer which is convertible to adapt it for use as a simple distributer for either seed or a fertilizer; and the object in View is to provide a simple, compact, and efficient construction and arrangement of parts whereby the crushing and distributing of the seed are accomplished by the same medium, and, furthermore, to provide simple and ecient means of adjustment whereby the extent of crushing and the rapidity of feed may be readily controlled.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a planter constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal Vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan View.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the igures of the drawings.

1 designates a draft or plow beam adapted to carry a plow-standard 2 or any suitable soil-working or seed-covering device', the usual handles 3 being attached to the beam. Also attached to the beam is a frame 4, between the parallel side bars of which are mounted front and rearcrushing and distributing rollers 5 and 6, having their spindles 7 and 8 mounted in bearing-boxes 9 and 10 upon said side bars of the frame. The front bearing-boxes 9 are adjustable longitudinally of the frame, toward and from the bearingboXes 10 of the rear spindle, to vary the interval between the adjacent portions of the surfaces of the rollers, the bolts 11, by which 5o the front bearing-boxes are secured to the frame, being extended through slots in the latter and being adapted when tightened to maintain the front roller at the desired adj ustment with relation to the rear roller.

The spindle of the rear roller 6 is extended terminally beyond the side bars of the frame 4, and to it are attached the driving or ground wheels l2, whereby rotary motion is communicated to the rear roller during the forward progress of the machine, and also is communicated in turn from the rear roller to the front roller byfmeans of intermeshing gears 13, carried by said rollers, preferably at 'a point adjacent to one of the side bars of the frame 4, as shown clearlyin Figs. 3 and 4, the

teeth of said gears being of suflicient length to allow the desired adjustment of the front roller with relation to the rear roller without allowing disengagement or without withdrawing the gear of the front or movable roller from operative relation with that of the rear or fixed roller. Located above and suitably supported by the framework of the ruachine is a hopper 14, in the side walls of which 4are formed bearings for an agitator-shaft 15,

having suitable agitator-teeth 16. Fixed to this agitator-shaft at one end is a sprocketwheel17, connected by a chain 18 with a driving-sprocket 19 on the driving-spindle 8 of the rear or fixed roller. This chain also serves to operate a feeding-worm 20, of which the spindle is mounted in bearings in the side walls of the hopper and is provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel 21, which is traversed by one side of said chain.

The bottom 22 of the hopper is provided with a feed-slot 23, arranged beneath and parallel with the spindle of the feeding-worm 20, and arranged in operative relation with the bottom is a gage-slide 24, having a slot 25, adapted for registration with the feed-slot of the bottom, a greater or less opening of the feed-slot being attainable by the relative adjustment of the gage-slide, and the latter being adapted to be secured at the desired adjustment by means of a set-screw 26.

In operation the cotton-seed or other seed is fed from the hopper through the feed-opening in the bottom thereof to the downwardlymovin g adjacent surfaces of the crushing and adjustable rollers o and 6, from whence it passes downward between said rollers, which are arranged atsuch an adjustment as to accomplish the desired crushing of the seed,

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and then is distributed upon the surface of the soil throughout a width of surface corresponding with the length of the rollers.l To prevent the cotton-seed, however, from clinging to the surfaces of the rollers, and thus returning to the initial point, I employ Scrapers 27, consisting of plates arranged ltransversely and secured to the front and rear bars of the frame et, with their inner operative edges in contact or approximately in contact with the surfaces, respectively, of the rollers. These Scrapers, however, are preferably so adj Listed as to arrange their operative edges near the upwardly-moving portions of the surfaces of the rollers, whereby the cotton-seed after it has been crushed may be carried forward and rearward under the rollers before it is detached by the Scrapers, whereby a more effective distribution of the seed over the surface traversed by the machine may be accomplished.

When it is desired to employ the apparatus as a distributer for either seed or a fertilizer without utilizing the crushing feature thereof, the front roller may be dismounted by detaching its bearing-boxes from the frame, thus adapting the device to be converted into a simple seed and fertilizer 'distributein The rear roller, which receives its motion directly from the ground-wheels and is mounted in fixed bearings, remains in position when the front roller is dismounted, and as the front downwardly-moving portion of the surface of this rear roller is arranged under the feedopening of the hopper it is obvious that said roller will assist in the operation of distributing seed or fertilizing material which it is unnecessary to crush.

A furtheradvantage ofthe construction described resides in the fact that it may be applied without modification as to structure to the plow-beam or draft-beam of any ordinary cultivator,the frame 4 being arranged beneath said beam and the hopper being disposed in the position described with relation to said frame. Also, it will be understood that any desired construction of soil turning or working blade or shovel may be used in connection therewith.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is l. A cotton-seed crushing and distributing apparatus having a hopper provided in its bottom with a feed-opening, front and rear cooperating crushing and distributing rollers arranged with the adjacent portions of their surfaces beneath and adapted to receive feed from said feed-opening, one of said rollers being removable and the other being mounted in fixed bearings, means for imparting rotary motion from one roller to the other, a feeding device arranged within the hopper for imparting motion to the contents thereof in a direction parallel with the axes of the rollers, and means for actuating said feeding device and that roller which is mounted in fixed bearings, substantially as specified.

2. In a cotton-seed crusher and distributer, the combination of a hopper having a feedopening, means for varying the operative area of said opening, a rotary agitator, a feedworin located within the hopper adjacent to said feed-opening, and cooperative crushing and distributing rollers located with the approachingsurfaces of their rollers in position to receive feed from the feed-opening, driving or ground wheels fixed to the spindle of one of said rollers, and connections consisting of a chain traversing sprocket-wheels arranged respectively upon the spindles of one of the rollers, the agitatonand the feed-worm, substantially as specified.

3. A convertible planter having a frame, fixed and removable crushing and distributing rollers having their spindles mounted in bearings upon said frame, the spindle of the fixed roller being provided with attached driving or ground wheels,intermeshin g means for communicating motion from one roller to the other, a hopper having an adj nstable feedopening located above the approaching portions of the surfaces of said rollers, and agitating and feeding devices arranged within the hopper, operatively connected with one of the driving-wheels, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL M. NEELY.

Witnesses:

W. D. KNOX, ARTHUR E. CoRNwELL.V

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